"The Other Boleyn Girl" (2008)
Two sisters took turns becoming the wives of one of the most cruel kings of England - Henry VIII. A beautiful and tragic story about vanity, intrigue, cruelty and other “joys of life” that certainly accompanied the marriage bonds of medieval England.
7. “7 days and nights with Marilyn” (2011)
This list would not be complete without America's most famous woman. Marilyn Monroe and her next romance in England with the director. How will this incredible story end?
8. "Young Victoria" (2009)
Queen Victoria ruled Britain for a record 63 years. The film will tell about the first steps, about the difficulties that had to be fought and about love. Amazing feelings with Prince Albert.
9. "Princess of Monaco" (2014)
She could have become a great actress and conquered Hollywood forever, but she chose Monaco and her beloved man. Grace Kelly showed courage, intelligence and extraordinary flexibility while being the princess of a small state.
10. "Jane Austen" (2007)
She dreamed of love and the day when she could marry the man she loved. Alas, the parents had a completely different opinion, thinking that in the role of a rich aristocrat, their daughter would be much better off. What will really happen to the romantic Jane Austen?
"Diana: A Love Story" (2013)
A picture about a great woman who was loved by the whole world, but not by her own husband. The princess will always remain in the eyes of her admirers as kind, beautiful, but unhappy. The film will tell about that period of Diana's life when she learned about her husband's infidelities. There will be a high-profile divorce, and charity, and a fatal, black dress, and a Pakistani surgeon, whom many called Lady Di’s love.
"Jackie" (2016)
The director of “Jackie,” Pablo Larrain, agreed to start filming only on one condition: Natalie Portman would play the main role. This film is about Jacqueline Kennedy, who was not only the First Lady of the United States in the 60s, but also a style icon in her time. Through her eyes, the story of the assassination of her husband, John Kennedy, is shown. After this event, her whole life turns upside down, but Jackie has to fight not only with herself, but also with members of the government.
Temple Grandin, 2010 (USA)
Temple Grandin is one of the most famous scientists and animal psychologists of our time. But besides her extraordinary talent, she has one peculiarity: she is autistic.
Having gone through a difficult life path - from a girl who cannot speak to a professor lecturing on animal husbandry and autism, she proved that this illness is not a death sentence. And although throughout her life she had to deal with a lot of jokes, stereotypes and prejudices (which was one of the reasons why she chose cows as the object of her study), she did not forget what kindness and mercy are.
If you need inspiration or a magic motivating “pill” right now, turn on this wonderful film, for which Claire Danes received a Golden Globe.
Women in the director's chair: 24 names you need to know
The film “Young Blood” by the Frenchwoman Emmanuelle Bercot, which opened this year’s Cannes Film Festival, has been released in Russia. Berko, who combines a directing career with an acting career, confidently makes a way for her female colleagues.
The position of women in the directing profession has been a battleground and a source of shocking statistics for more than a century. So it's no surprise that when the Berlin and Cannes festivals opened in 2020 with films by Isabelle Coixet and Berco, respectively, it was a powerful occasion to once again celebrate the film industry's several steps towards gender equality. However, two steps forward, three steps back - this is how the situation most often looks like if you look at the numbers. The percentage of female directors in Hollywood, for example, constantly hovers around the 7-9% mark, and there is no consistent increase in this indicator.
Or let's take British statistics. In 2012, out of 179 films, only 14 (7.8%) were directed by women. The year before, however, the percentage was almost twice as high, 15%. It remains in this corridor - from 7 to 15-16%. At the same time, there is good news: in 2013, the British Film Institute Foundation, which supports the debuts of young directors, directed 80% of its support to women. However, in the United States in 2014, 93% of the 250 top-grossing (at home) films were directed by men. We would even say: 93%, Karl!
And it’s not that women simply don’t want to become directors and prefer to take care of their families or other film professions. It's just that cinema is still a very masculine world.
For example, about a quarter of all the films that competed at Sundance, America's premier independent film festival, from 2002 to 2014 were directed by women, but which indie directors are the first to be offered big-budget projects by major studios? That's right, male directors. “ Women have fewer opportunities – it’s simple. They are not included in the lists of potential directors. When studio heads think of directors, they think of men. This is a closed men's club. They don't understand how a woman can make films and raise children at the same time. Men don't want to take orders from a woman on the court. They are not interested in stories about women from a woman's perspective
" writes
Melissa Silverstein
, creator of the blog
Women and Hollywood
.
She is echoed by the screenwriter of the cult “On the Beach” and director of “Paradise” Mary Donoghue, who recently completed work on her first film after a 25-year hiatus - a low-budget independent comedy about a lesbian couple. “ It’s really difficult to break through. I had an advantage as a screenwriter. If the producers liked the script, you can defend your right to film. But I didn't want to be a director for hire. I wanted to do what interests me. I probably should have gone into independent filmmaking, but I didn’t. At first, I continued to negotiate with studios, offering them my projects, but the films that were interesting to me gradually became a thing of the past. I lost a lot of time on this, but I wrote plays at the same time, so I don’t regret anything. I didn't want to compromise
“,” the director admitted in an interview with
IndieWire
.
But Young Blood director Emmanuel Bercot says that the situation in France is completely different. “ In recent years, the number of women directors in the country has grown significantly. And if this pace continues, the day will come when the number of men and women directing in France will be equal! I myself have never encountered prejudice or discrimination. I would even say that among filmmakers they have special respect for me because I am a woman. After all, this profession has long been the prerogative of men, with the exception of a few female pioneers in cinema. Besides, everyone knows that this is hard work that requires almost masculine energy. I and other women receive real support, goodwill and protection from men who work in this field. And since many men are afraid of women, this helps to achieve even more!
“- Berko said in an interview
with KinoPoisk
.
In connection with the release of “Young Blood” in Russian distribution KinoPoisk
I decided to remember the main female names in directing - from the invention of the movie camera to the present day.
